Deepika out of World C’ships
New Delhi: Ace Indian archer Deepika Kumari crashed out of the World Championships as India’s campaign in both recurve and compound individual events ended on Thursday on a disappointing note at Belek in Turkey. None of the Indian archers, except Rajat Chauhan in men’s compound event, could go beyond the Round of 16 in the individual events in the men’s and women’s sections. The Indians though are in the fray in the team events. India’s best bet for a medal, Deepika suffered a disappointing 2-6 loss to Mexico’s london Olympics bronze medallist Mariana Avitia in the women’s individual recurve event at the Papillon Sports Center.
Atwal set for Asian tour return
Kuala lumpur: Indian star Arjun Atwal will make a long-awaited return on the Asian Tour when he features in the CJ Invitational Hosted by KJ Choi in Korea next week and the Venetian Macau Open later this month. The former Asian number one, who is the first Indian to win on the PGA Tour when he claimed victory at the 2010 Wyndham Championship, is returning from a six-week layoff to recuperate from injuries which has plagued his 2013 season.
SA to consider franchise ‘quotas’
Cape Town: South African cricket officials are set to consider a proposal forcing professional franchises to include at least two black Africans in every team. Another item expected to be discussed at an October 11 Cricket South Africa (CSA) meeting will be the need for second-tier, semi-professional provincial sides to select three black Africans. CSA have not commented officially on the proposals, but an official who attended recent transformation talks said both issues would be debated.
Half Marathon: registration opens
New Delhi: The registrations process for the much awaited Airtel Delhi Half Marathon was declared open at a glittering event on Thursday evening. The event would be organised on be December 15. The IAAF gold lable event carries a prize purse of $210,000 and this year the officials are expecting at least 40 of the world’s top 100 male and female competitors. The race will begin and end at the historic Jawahar lal Nehru stadium. last year 10,600 marathoners had participated and this year the numbers are expected to grow. Kenya’s Edwin Kipyego and Ethiopian Wude Ayalew are the defending champions for the male and female categories, respectively. The race is open for people from all walks of life.
Ind-0z series: ‘Fight for No 1’
New Delhi: With the forthcoming ODI series between India and Australia billed as a fight for claiming the number one position in the ICC rankings, the host boardcasters STAR Sports has launched a marketing campaign with the theme ‘Fight for No 1’. The campaign will promote and build the seven-match ODI series, which is commencing on October 13 in Pune. India are currently placed at the top of the ICC ODI team rankings with 123 points, while Australia are at second spot with 115 points. If Australia can get the better of India comprehensively in the series, they will become the new number one One-day team. While India will retain their position at the top if they are able to win the series.
Clarke a doubt for Ashes opener
Sydney: Australian captain Michael Clarke has admitted he may not be fit for the first Ashes Test against England next month, with his long-standing back problem needing extended treatment and rest. Clarke was ruled out of Australia’s one-day tour of India this month and while desperate to be ready for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane on November 21, the star batsman is pragmatic. “Where I sit right now is I don’t know when I’ll be back playing cricket,” he said. “We have no idea how long it’s going to take. “There’s certainly no guarantee (for the first Test) at this stage. It’s hard for me to say that because I’m trying my best not to look at it like that.
Bayern dominates City in Cl
Frankfurt: Bayern Munich and Real Madrid produced dominant performances in the Champions league as the likes of Arjen Robben and Cristiano Ronaldo found the net on a good night for Europe’s top forwards. Robben helped Bayern outclass Manchester City 3-1 away, a demonstration that Bayern’s defense of the title is right on track with two wins from two games. Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria scored two goals each for Real Madrid in a 4-0 rout of Copenhagen, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic notched a brace for Paris Saint-Germain in a 3-0 demolition of Benfica. They were all outdone by Kostas Mitroglou, who scored a hat trick to lead Olympiakos to a 3-0 victory at Anderlecht. Manchester United was held to a 1-1 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk, while City’s former coach Roberto Mancini steered Galatasaray to a 2-2 draw at Juventus, just two days after taking charge of the Turkish side.
Sania-Cara in China open semis
Beijing: India’s Sania Mirza and her Zimbabwean partner Cara Black notched up a straight-game win over Chinese Taipei’s Yung-Jan Chan and Jie Zheng in the quarterfinals of the China Open tennis tournament here on Thursday. The eight seeded Indo-Zimbabwe pair prevailed over the Taiwanese combo 6-4 6-1 in a women’s doubles competition at the China National Tennis Center here.
Djokovic beats Verdasco
Beijing: Top-seeded Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams overcame tough challenges Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the China Open. Djokovic outlasted Fernando Verdasco of Spain 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 in a see-saw match while Williams saved three set points in the first set before beating Maria Kirilenko of Russia 7-5, 7-5.
Mathews to take up Sree’s issue
Thiruvananthapuram: National Cricket Academy Chairman and president of Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), T C Mathew on Thursday said he is planning to take up the matter of banned pacer S Sreesanth with senior BCCI member Arun Jaitley. Fielding questions at a meet-the-press here, Mathew said he would meet Sreesanth and his lawyer soon to discuss further proceedings in the case. “…we have offered our support to Sreesanth. I will meet Sreesanth and his lawyer soon and discuss further steps to be taken in the matter. I am planning to take up the matter with Arun Jaitley soon. The action against Sreesanth was taken on the basis of an internal inquiry. The same stand was taken even against Mohammed Azharuddin. But we can put more pressure on behalf of Sreesanth,” Mathew said. PNS/Agencies